Transcript Health, Medicine and the Policymaking Process

Health, Medicine and the
Policymaking Process
Jack O. Lanier, Dr. P.H., MHA, FACHE
Objectives
 Provide an overview of the U.S. Health Care System
 Describe the changing nature of health care in
America
 Identify and review selected issues pertaining to atrisk populations
 Translate epidemiological data into policy
 Review the health policymaking process in the U.S.
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Session Objectives
At the end of session, students will be able to:
 Describe the U.S. health care system and its
components
 Explain the policymaking process
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Americans Satisfaction With
U.S. Healthcare System
Poor:
Elderly:
Everyone else:
45%
61%
34%
 The poor: satisfaction due to a combination of
Medicaid, ERs, free clinics
 The elderly: covered by a state-run national health
care system (Medicare and Medicaid)
 Children and youth: covered by SCHIP and Medicaid
Source: Health Care in America. US Forum. Posted April 19, 2005.
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Who Shall Live?
Health Economics and Social Choice
 The problems we face:
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Cost of care
Access to care
Determinants of health levels
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Who Shall Live?
Health Economics and Social Choice
 Cost of care
 Health care spending in
the United States far
exceeds that of other
countries.
 Approximately 14% of
gross domestic product,
or $1.6 trillion in 2002, is
spent on health care
services in the United
States.
Source: http://www.amc2.org/amc2_rising_cost.htm
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Who Shall Live?
Health Economics and Social Choice
 Access to Care
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Getting the kind of care needed when it is
needed
Access to care as a “right”?
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Who Shall Live?
Health Economics and Social Choice
 Determinants of health levels
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Health levels in the U.S. are not as high as in
many other developed nations
Large variations between groups in the U.S.
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Who Shall Live?
Health Economics and Social Choice
 The choices we make:
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Health or other goals?
Medical care or other health programs?
Physicians or other medical care providers?
How much equality? And how to achieve it?
Today or tomorrow?
Your life or mine?
The jungle or the zoo?
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Health Policymaking in the U.S.
 Almost every democratic industrialized country
provides some manner of health insurance for its
populace.
 Comprehensive health care may be provided by a
government-run insurance scheme, a voluntary
private insurance system, or a mixed system.
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Rewriting the Social Contract
As healthcare, pensions and other social
benefits erode under economic pressures,
The Challenges continue for:
1. Business: GM, Ford, Wal-Mart
2. Government: Medicare, Medicaid, Social
Security
3. Society: Uninsured, Unemployed, Poverty
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Rewriting the Social Contract
The U.S. Workforce
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Rewriting the Social Contract
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Retirement Pensions
at Risk
 Company sponsored pension
plans declining
 Companies short-changing
workers
 Company sponsored pension
plans defaulting
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Health Policymaking in the U.S.
A model of the Public Policymaking Process in the United States
Source: Health Policymaking in the United States, third edition, Beaufort B. Longest, Jr., Health Administration Press Admission
of the Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives, 2002.
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Health Care Reform: Medicare and
Prescription Drug Coverage
 1948: Harry Truman’s push for national health insurance failed
 1960: Kerr-Mills health legislation provided federal medical
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assistance funding to states for care of the poorest elderly
 By 1963, five large states (with only 32% of the US
population) were using 90% of the Federally provided
funding
1964: Lyndon Johnson and Democratic majority in Congress
pushed for national health insurance policy, and tried to increase
Social Security benefits
1965: Passage of the Social Security Act amendments formed
Medicare and Medicaid for senior citizens and the poor
respectively
1990: Hillary Clinton heads up attempt at Medicare reform
Present: President George Bush privatizing Social Security and
individualized health savings accounts
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National Survey of Physicians:
Health Policy Priorities
Making Medicare financially sound
for future generations
59%
Increasing the number of Americans with
health insurance
57%
Protecting patients’ rights in health plans
55%
Helping people aged 65 and over to pay for
medications
49%
Helping families with the cost of caring for
elderly, disabled family
33%
Encouraging medical savings accounts
33%
Regulating the costs of medications
33%
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Healthcare Reform – Medical Liability
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Special Interest Groups
 The American Hospital Association
 The American Medical Association
 The Health Insurance Association of America
 The Pharmaceutical Industry
 Organized Labor

All of these
groups, as well as
others not
mentioned, have
active lobbyists….
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The U.S. Health Care System
 What is it?

Referred to as a patchwork of medical facilities
health providers (doctors, dentists, nurses,
pharmacists, allied health professionals),
community-based health services entities,
professional association organizations, and a
myriad of special interest groups at the
national state and local levels.
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U.S. Health Care System
 America’s Health Care Caste System:
 The U.S. opted for a makeshift system of increasing
complexity and dysfunction
 Americans spend $5,267 per capita on health care
every year, almost two and half times the industrialized
world’s median of $2,193
 The extra spending comes to hundreds of billions of
dollars a year.
 What does that extra spending buy us?
 Americans have fewer doctors per capita than most
Western countries
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Source: Steve Verdon. “America’s Health Care System, Part II.” New Yorker. Tuesday, August 23, 2005.
The Private Sector
 Institutional members such as
hospitals and nursing homes
 Groups of people organized
according to their specialized
training, professional skills, and
credentials
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The U.S. Healthcare System
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Institutions
Providers
Changing Nature / Financing
Policy
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I. Institutions / Healthcare Facilities
 Hospitals
 Nursing Homes
 Hospice
 Ambulatory Care
 Allied Health
 Pharmaceutical and
Medical Instrument
Manufacturers
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Hospitals
 The institution responsible for
much of the major expense is
the hospital system
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Consists of private,
freestanding hospitals
Many of these hospitals use
only a fraction of the total
number of licensed beds
Attempts to consolidate
hospitals to make them more
efficient have largely failed
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Hospitals - Continued
 Most hospitals in the U.S. are freestanding, mostly not-
for-profit, originally organized as community service
organizations
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Many were developed in health care shortage areas after
World War II under the sponsorship of the federally funded
Hill-Burton program
Any facility developed with federal funds had to dedicate a
significant proportion of it services to the poor
 These hospitals included the nation’s 125 Academic
Medical Centers as well as the U.S. medical schools
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Hospitals are normally members of the American Hospital
Association (AHA)
U.S. medical scholsl are members of the Association of
American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
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Nursing Homes
 The nursing home industry is
also responsible for a large
share of medical expenses
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The American Health Care
Association (AHCA) represents
almost 12,000 nursing facilities
with more than 1.5 million beds
Some hospitals and many
community centers have areas
designated for sub acute
(nursing home) care
Costs of private beds in many
institutions may be over
$150/day, but this is far less
than a hospital bed (which in
Virginia is about $375/day)
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Hospice
 Another type of bedded institutions include respite
centers / hospices
 The hospice movement has been present for many
years in Europe, but has only made headway in the
U.S. in the last 25 years
 Hospices generally provide
care to the terminally ill
patients, with emphasis placed
on pain relief and quality of life
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Ambulatory Care
 Ambulatory care is normally provided by physicians
in their offices.
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This care is also provided in community-based health
clinics.
Ambulatory clinics also include surgical daycare
centers developed by surgical specialists who found
their income was improved by developing free-standing
units not associated with hospitals. These daycare
centers were not bound by hospital standards or by
surgical suite rotation where senior surgeons had
access privileges.
Free-standing radiological centers have also been
developed for the same reason.
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Community-Based Facilities
 Other clinics have been developed in underserved
areas of the country, both central city and rural.
 The Health Resources and Services Administration
Bureau of Primary Health Care funds community
health centers
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These centers must be open to all citizens, although
they have a commitment to underserved populations.
They must have a board of directors selected from
their clients.
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Community-Based Clinics – Cont.
 In addition to these clinics, the bureau also has
started providing support funds to look alike clinics
which serve similar populations in similar areas, and
are having difficulty surviving due to service to many
patients unable to pay for care.
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A local example is the Hayes E. Willis Health Center in
South Richmond, started in 1991 by the Virginia Health
Care Foundation, and now an integral part of the VCU
Health System.
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Allied Health Organizations
 Final catch-all group is that of allied health
organizations
 Includes:
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Physical and occupational therapy clinics
Mental health centers
Pharmacies
Audiology centers
And free-standing clinical laboratories
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The Pharmaceutical and Medical
Instrument Manufacturers
 Merck, Squibb, Burroughs
Welcome and others represented
by the Pharmaceutical
Manufacturers Association
(PhRMA)
 Drug efficacy and outcomes
called into question
 Impact: Medicare eligible,
uninsured, underinsured, and
vulnerable population groups
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II. Providers
 Physicians
 Pharmacists
 Nurses
 Allied Health
 Dentists
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Physicians
 May belong to local, state, or
national medical associations
or not
 Major trade group: American
Medical Association
 Physicians fall into to major
subgroups: primary care
physicians and specialty
physicians
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Pharmacists
 May practice in hospitals, group
practices, community
pharmacies, the pharmaceutical
research industry, or the federal
government
 Trade group: American
Pharmacists Association (APA)
 Majority practice in the private
sector
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Nurses
 Wide range of skills:
 licensed practical nurse
 associate degree nurse
 three-year trained nurse
 four-year college degree nurse
 Trade group: American Nursing
Association (ANA)
 May be employed wherever
there is a medical/healthcare
organization
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Allied Health
 The term allied health covered all
health-related professions except
physicians, nurses, and dentists
 Myriad of allied health
professional organizations
 Includes: physical and
occupational therapists,
audiologists, dieticians,
counselors, laboratory
technicians, radiology
technicians, emergency medical
technicians, health care
administrators, etc.
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Dentists
 Most work as practitioners
within their own practices or
in small groups
 Divided into generalists and
specialists
 Trade group: American
Dental Association (ADA)
 Many third party insurers fail
to cover or include dental
care
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Key Voluntary Associations
 Play a major role in promoting and
advocating the health and well-being
of certain constituent groups
 Chronic Disease
 American Lung Association
 American Heart Association
 American Cancer Society
 Polio Foundation / March of Dimes
 Philanthropy
 William and Melinda Gates
Foundation
 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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III. Federal Health Care System
 Veterans Administration
 Department of Defense
 Civil Servants
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Veterans Administration
 Facilities
 172 hospitals
 132 nursing homes
 Ambulatory care facilities
 Clientele Served
 Veterans eligible from wartime or military-related
injuries
 Approximately 5.2 million
patients
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VA - Continued
Revamped Veterans' Health Care Now a Model
By Gilbert M. Gaul
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 22, 2005; Page A01
For years, the Department of Veterans Affairs' sprawling health care
system was criticized by veterans groups and government investigators
as a dangerous backwater of medicine.
But in the past decade, largely unnoticed by the public, the system has
undergone a dramatic transformation and now is considered by some to
be a model.
Researchers laud the VA for its use of electronic medical records, its
focus on preventive care and its outstanding results. The system
outperforms Medicare and most private health plans on many quality
measures…
Some experts point to the VA makeover as a lesson in how the nation's
troubled health care system might be able to heal itself.
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Department of Defense
 Health care system provides care for eligible active
duty and retired military personnel and their
dependents
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Civil Servants
 System that provides insurance coverage for civilians
employed by the Federal Government
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IV. Changing Nature/Financing
 Demographics
 Healthcare financing
 Consumer choice
 Clinical quality
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Demographics
 Aging population
 Diversity
 Uninsured / Underinsured
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Aging Population
 People 65 years of age and older represent the
fastest growing segment of the U.S. population
Number of Persons 65 +: 1900 to 2030 (numbers in millions)
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Diversity
 By 2010, 32 percent of the U.S. population is
expected to be African-American, Asian, Hispanic, or
Native-American
 In California, these groups already comprise more
than 50 percent of the population
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44 percent of the Los Angeles Population is Hispanic
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Uninsured
Percentage Uninsured, by State
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Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute estimates from March 1999.
Uninsured in Virginia
 28.7% of Virginians under the age of 65 went without
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health insurance for all or part of the two-year period
from 2002-2003
Most uninsured Virginians (79.2 percent) are
members of working families
Families in Virginia with incomes at or below 200% of
the federal poverty level more likely to be uninsured
Uninsured more likely to be younger than the general
population
Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks have highest
rates of uninsured (60.8% and 42.5%)
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Source: The Uninsured: A Closer Look. Families USA, June 2004. www.familiesusa.org
Healthcare Financing
 Medicare
 Medicaid
 Social Security
 Private Insurance
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Healthcare Financing
 Where does the money go?
37% Hospital
30% Doctors/Other Professionals
12% Prescription Drugs
13% Administration
9% Other
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Medicare
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Medicare - Continued
Prescription drug spending of Medicare patients
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Medicaid
 Provides medical coverage for certain groups of low-
income individuals (aged, blind, or disabled); members
of families with children; and pregnant women
 Jointly funded by federal and state governments
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Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, http://www.kff.org/medicaid/kcmu012605nr.cfm
Medicaid - Continued
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Source: http://www.americanvoice2004.org
Social Security
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Private Insurance
 Majority of health
expenditures covered
by private insurers
 Often associated with
employee benefits or
individual personal
plans
 May entail high
premiums in addition
to out-of-pocket
expenses or copays
Primary Pay Sources, 1997
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Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, US Dept of Health and Human Services, http://www.ahrq.gov/data/
Insurance Premiums
Health costs skyrocket
Faced with the largest price
hike since 1990, firms pass
more insurance costs on to
their employees.
September 22, 2003: 6:05 PM EDT
By Sarah Max, CNN/Money Staff Writer
BEND, Ore. (CNN/Money) – The results
are in, confirming what a lot of American
workers may have already figured out for
themselves. Health insurance costs
continue to climb.
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Consumer Choice
 Consumer expectations
 Cost-sharing trend (shift to individuals bearing more
of the burden)
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Source: www.bls.gov/opub/ ted/2004/apr/wk4/art03.htm
Clinical Quality
 Increased concerns
about patient safety
and medical errors
 National quality
standards
 Trends towards “pay
for performance”
 National report card to
help patients select
physicians not yet
forthcoming
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V. Epidemiology and Health Policy
 Newly emerging diseases can spread rapidly
throughout the world
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West Nile Virus
Avian flu
SARS
 Pattern of global
problems becoming
local, and local
problems becoming
global
Soldiers suffering from the Spanish flu in a hospital at Camp
Funston, Kansas, 1918. Source: National Museum of Health and
Medicine, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, D.C.
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Role and Paradox of the Hospital
 The hospital has emerged as the undisputed
professional and technological center of the health
care world, but is prevented from playing the central
coordinating role which its position logically dictates
 Internally, the hospital has been unable to resolve the
deep-rooted conflict between medical staff and lay
administration
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Role and Paradox of the Physician
 More and better trained doctors
than ever before, performing
many near-miracles, seeing
more patients, earning more
money, and with a heartening
infusion of new humanism…
 But, a continuously increasing
imbalance between supply and
demand is producing
tremendous emotional and
financial pressures, resentment
on the part of both doctors and
patients, and public depreciation
of the medical profession
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Paradox of the Patient
 Longer-lived, less disease-ridden, better educated,
richer patient than ever before, but…
 Needing and demanding more health care than ever
before, increasingly critical of existing health care
institutions, and determined to change these
institutions, by whatever means he can command, in
order to get what he thinks he needs
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Paradox of Financing
 Due to expansion of both public and private financing
programs, the financial barrier to health care has
been substantially reduced for most Americans
 Yet shortcomings in the programs, especially
Medicaid, the continuing gaps and duplications, and
the ever-rising provider costs, have contributed to
inability to provide comprehensive coverage and
continuing dissatisfaction on the part of both
providers and consumers
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Questions and Comments
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